Honors Program Course Descriptions

Freshman Leadership Seminar (3 credit hrs.)

This unique course is designed to introduce students to the honors experience and cultivate leadership skills. A variety of topics will be explored: exploring career opportunities, articulating a vision through a personal statement or resume, interacting in teams, and learning how to empower oneself and others. Guest speakers will enhance the class environment, allowing students to learn from leaders in the community and the college. Students will also complete service learning projects throughout the semester and begin work on their capstone project, which will be presented to the college and within the community.

Honors English will be a reading and writing intensive course that focuses exclusively on the life and literary works of popular, contemporary women writers (1945 – present). Students will study the rise of the female voice through various genres (Short-Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and a Novel) films, audios, and hidden talents (i.e. poets, speakers, playwrights, and essayists) here at Piedmont Technical College. Topics will include, but are not limited to, the new ideology of womanhood; the exploration of love, lust, and women’s sexuality in literature; race relations; and life’s journey. The course will culminate with a collaborative learning project in which students will closely examine the relationships between literary art, the artist, and contemporary social realism. Prerequisite: ENG 102

The honors psychology course will involve a demanding study of history of psychology, biological bases for behavior, research methods, perception, motivation, learning, memory, development, personality, and abnormal behavior. All topics will be discussed within the frame work of the scientific method. This course will have virtual laboratory projects that support topics learned in class. Laboratory projects will focus on the scientific method used in psychological studies. Additionally, in this course students will have an opportunity to develop presentations relating to the psychological concepts learned. Lastly, students in this course will have the unique experiences of meeting with and learning from experts in the psychological field. Prerequisites: ENG 100 and RDG 100 or appropriate placement test scores

The honors Chemistry I course will involve a rigorous study of atomic and molecular structure, nomenclature and equations, properties, reactions and states of matter, stoichiometry, gas laws, solutions, thermodynamics and equilibria. This course will have laboratory projects that support topics learned in class and will utilize advanced chemistry techniques and technology including UV-vis spectroscopy. Laboratory projects will teach students the proper way to write formal lab reports and design professional poster presentations. Students will also develop presentations relating concepts learned in class to applications in the work field and will learn from guest speakers. Students will read current articles in chemistry developments and keep a reading journal with reflections on their reading. Prerequisites: RDG 100, ENG 100, and MAT 102 or appropriate algebra placement scores

*This course will be taught as a joint lecture combining traditional students with honors, using the same lab sections.

The honors Chemistry II course is a continuation of the study of atomic and molecular structures, nomenclature and equations, properties, reactions and states of matter, stoichiometry, gas laws, and solutions. Other major topics include kinetics, thermodynamics, equilibria, nuclear chemistry, acids and bases, and electrochemistry. This honors section will also offer an introduction to organic chemistry and biochemistry. This course will have laboratory projects that support topics learned in class and will utilize advanced chemistry techniques and technology including SPARK lab systems. Laboratory projects will teach students the proper way to write formal lab reports and design professional presentations. Students will learn from guest speakers and take field trips to see how chemistry is applied in the workplace. Prerequisite: CHM 110

*This course will be taught as a joint lecture combining traditional students with honors, using the same labs sections.

Philosophy 101: Finding Oneself Outside Oneself (3 credit hrs.)

This course includes a topical survey of the three main branches of philosophy -- Epistemology, Metaphysics and Ethics -- and the contemporary questions related to these fields. By focusing upon these areas, students will examine what constitutes their foundational beliefs and strengthen and/or question these beliefs through class dialogue and composition. Prerequisites: ENG 100 and RDG 100 or appropriate placement test scores

History 201: “Seeing Stars (and Stripes)” (3 credit hrs.)

This course is an honors survey of U.S. history from its European discovery to 1877. This course includes political, social, economic and intellectual developments during this period. The honors version of this class will devote additional attention to the contextual issues that faced a developing country through critical analysis of documents as well as through discussion in a seminar-style environment. Prerequisites: ENG 100 and RDG 100 or appropriate placement test scores

Spanish 101: “Speakin’ Costa Rican” (4 credit hrs.)

SPA 101 is a college-level beginning Spanish language course that focuses on the four basic language skills-- reading, writing, listening and speaking-- as well as an introduction to Hispanic cultures. Students enrolled in SPA 101 will engage in supplementary activities, projects and assignments that will increase their cultural knowledge and language acquisition, namely with grammar and syntax. Emphasis will be placed on how to order in a restaurant, bargaining in a market, exchanging money, asking for directions and discussing the natural environment of Costa Rica, preparing students for their trip to the country in 2015. Prerequisites: ENG 100 and RDG 100 or appropriate placement test scores. This course does not fulfill a humanities credit.

Spanish 102: “Living La Vida Costa Rica” (4 credit hrs.)

SPA 102 is a college-level beginning Spanish language course and a continuation of SPA 101. Students of SPA 102 will continue to focus on the four basic language skills--reading, writing, listening and speaking-- as well as further their understanding of Hispanic cultures. Emphasis will be placed on preterite and imperfect tenses; commands; and the subjunctive mood. In addition, students enrolled in the Honors section of SPA 102 will engage in supplementary activities, projects and assignments that will increase their cultural knowledge, language acquisition and language production skills, specifically as they pertain to Costa Rica in efforts to maximize the students’ cultural experience abroad when traveling to Costa Rica in 2015. These practical skills can be applied to any interaction and/or communication with the Spanish language. Prerequisite: SPA 101. This course does not fulfill a humanities credit.

Math 120 – “Statistics: Your Life Counts” (3 credit hrs.)

Honors Statistics is a college-level, non-calculus based course in introductory statistics. The modern science of statistics involves the invention, study, and development of principles and methods for modeling uncertainty through mathematical probability; for designing experiments, surveys, and observational programs; and for analyzing and interpreting empirical data. Mathematics plays a major role in all statistical activity, whether of an abstract nature or dealing with specific techniques for analyzing data. Statistics is an excellent field for students with strong mathematical skills and an interest in applying these skills to problems in the natural and social sciences. The Honors program in Statistics offers coverage of the principles and methods of statistics in combination with a solid training in mathematics and some exposure to computing, which is essential to nearly all modern data analysis. Prerequisite: MAT 152 or MAT 101 or appropriate placement test scores.